Busy, Busy, Busy

My kids are a little older, but it still seems to be as busy at my house. Dylan still likes to be held way to much. I know there will come a time when I miss his clinginess, but right now, at this age it's over the top. He always wants to be held when I'm in the middle of other things and does not understand that right now Mommy can't but that doesn't mean she will never.

Oh well, busy days ahead for me:
Today
Kindergarten Orientation w/Marissa
Shopping for food and Larry's birthday present
House cleaning
visit my dad in St. Barnabas
dinner
soccer for Marissa
celebrate Larry's birthday

Tomorrow
Haircut for Marissa (which I think I'll cancel)
Nails
Open House @ Legacy (Cheer)
House cleaning
friends over

Sunday
preparing food for get together for Larry
Meetup at Panera's
pick up cake
Larry's birthday party

in the weekend somewhere maybe pick up my dad

Sometimes I Wonder

I really, really do about people in this world.

I mean, when you apply for a job and give references, why would you give people who can barely form a sentence, can't think, and are not intelligent? I mean, in my job, I come up with at least one or two references a day where they answer questions like "I don't know", "I guess so" and the questions are "how would you rate YOUR FRIEND on his/her reliability?" or "How does YOUR FRIEND get along with others?" Sometimes the answers are "yeah he's reliable" that's not what I asked, I asked to rate him/her!

When I furnish references, I choose people that are going to be a good representative of ME! Someone who is well spoken, can think on the their feet, can communicate and aren't annoyed that they have to do something nice for ME, their friend.

Messed Up Sleeping Habits this week GRRRR!

So the kids are having a bad sleep week.

Yesterday, Dylan was suffering from allergies (I think) and when Father-in-law was watching him while I got my hair done, he fell asleep in FIL's car and napped all the way home and on our couch until about 1 or 1:30. Then he had itchy eyes and around 3:30 I gave him benedryl and he fell asleep about 4:30 to 7:30...soooo he wasn't going to bed a regular bedtime. He stayed up and watched the Pirate game (overtime at that) with Daddy and finally came to bed around 11ish. He slept to 6:30am.

Marissa stayed over at inlaws house yesterday and FIL ratted her out and said that she was still up when he got home from work last night at 1:30am! WTF were they thinking??? She slept until 8ish this morning, but right now, at 6:47pm est, she's zonked out in her bed and she won't stay up...soooo that means another late night for one of my kids, because I just know she won't sleep through til morning.

A Case of the Slipsy's OOPS

Lately Marissa has had a case of the OOPS and has spilled things. She's been really good with a "regular" cup, so we've been letting her drink more and more but lately...OOOPS I did it again!

The other day she was sitting at the counter eating cookies and drinking milk and then OOPS spilt milk, she picked up the cup and there was an ounce or so left and when I was wiping up the mess, she poured out the remaining milk on the floor. WTF????

It's also happened recently with more milk, juice and soda. Very frustrating. She's 5 1/2!

Today, we were bringing left-over cookies to my father's nursing home to share. Well I had her carrying the tray but she stopped to adjust her sunglasses and look cute and the next thing you know, cookies all over the floor. What a waste!

Then we were sitting eating lunch, not paying attention she kicks the little table we were using, upends MY soda and spilt it all over the floor.

Very frustrating, but I think she's going back to the sippy cup for a while.

The Doom & Gloom Continues

the Red Cross declared my brothers home unliveable. He went for his intake interview today and will be getting a debit card with money for incidentials. He has to apply for help with Social Services, but due to his income he won't be approved, but has to go through the process. The Red Cross has put him in the system to find temporary housing.

He's been trying to go through his house and things and right now the only things that he feels are salvageable are:

Butcher Block cart in kitchen

Kitchen Credenza

Coffee Table

Tool Box

Small Electronics which were put in the attic---computer, stereo, radio, clock radio

Some dishes, bowls, cups, glasses and utensils

Microwave

I posted on Freecycle.com for help and also on my moms group and everyone has been so wonderful and supportive. I'm getting clothes and shoes for them both and told anyone who has household items to hold on to them as when he does find permanent housing he will need those items as well. I went to Walmart today and got the both some underwear and socks and then a Visa Check Card for $100.

Talking Toddler-Ese

I know when I talk to my son, I talk in toddler-ese...blankie, seepy (for sleep time), etc.

Well today I got busted. We were at one of those places where you play games and they have ticket redemption. So Dylan had 12 tickets to redeem and I was asking him what he wanted and relaying it to the guy behind the counter when I caught myself saying "and we'll take two of those froggies!"

Seems The Family Can't Catch a Break

due to the weather in NY, my brothers house was flooded out....they said there was 2 to 3 feet of water inside. He spent the night at the neighbors whose downstairs apartment was also flooded. Lots of damage---all his furniture and belongings. They were getting around by canoe. Luckily, he parked his car up a hill, so this afternoon they canoed themselves to it and drove to my sisters hours about 10 minutes away. She only got some water, but no flooding or damage.

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070416/NEWS03/704160386

Rain Rain Go Away

I know there are people having worse weather than we are...but jeez, I'm so tired of this crappy weather. If it's not cold, it's raining! Enough already! I just want to start Spring already. We had a few teaser days a couple of weeks ago and thenwe got freezing cold temps, snow and now rain. I'm so over it! San Diego here I come!

So we have a little scheduling conflict for Friday...oops My fault. I scheduled myself to be part of a Consignment Sale/Vendor Show on April 20th and 21st, thinking it was going to be Saturday and Sunday...oh my bad---it's Friday and Saturday---don't know why, but that's how it was coordinated. WELL....Larry has to work Friday PLUS Marissa's soccer practice (first one due to weather problems---see above) is at 5:45 on Friday. So he's checking with his parents to see if they can babysit and also, he'll probably have to leave work early because he's scheduled to work until 5pm on Friday.

Deliberately Changing the Lyrics to Songs

I know alot of people mishear songs and sing the words as they think they should be, but today I was remembering songs that I deliberately sing with different lyrics...

It Don't Come Easy---Ringo Starr
The lyrics are: I don't ask for much, I only want your trust
my lyrics are: I don't ask for much, I only wanna f*ck

Brown Eyed Girl---Van Morrison
The lyrics are: Making love in the green grass, behind the stadium with you
my lyrics are: Making love in the green grass, behind Shea Stadium with you

Another Saturday Night---Cat Stevens
The lyrics are: Another Saturday Night and I ain't got nobody, I've got some money cause I just got paid.
My lyrics are: Another Saturday Night and I ain't got nobody, I've got some money and I wanna get laid.

All I Have to Do is Dream---The Everly Brothers
The lyrics are: I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine, Anytime Night or Day, The only trouble is, Gee Whiz, I'm dreaming my life away
My lyrics are: I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine, Anytime night or day, the only trouble is, Cheez Whiz, I'm dreaming my life away

there are more...I'll be back when I think of them.

My Job

I've been feeling for a while, that something has been going on. About a month ago, I met with Tracy and her husband to discuss the course the company was taken. Apparently, Dave the husband had been wanting to meet with me. Well from the meeting I learned that Dave would be committing to the company full time and that they were expanding their services from search to supplemental insurance (he's an Insurance Salesman for AFLAC, travel (he became a party of yourtravelbiz.com or something) and other ventures. Also that Tracy was pending a job offer with one of our clients that supposedly she would continue to work with our corporation.

But truly from the meeting I got the big PUSH towards this travel biz, because it's RLM (relationship level marketing as opposed to MLM) but the concepts are similar. You pay a fee (about $500) to get a travel website that you promote, advertise for etc. etc. When people use your website you get a commission from the sale. Example: someone books one night stay at the Mariott in Pittsburgh for $100. Well the Marriott pays 10% to this corporation, i.e. $10 and you would get 60% of that sale i.e. $6. Also you sign up people under you and you start getting commission on their commission.

We have some jobs that I've been steadily trying to fill. Some successfully, some not. But I really feel that at least one job will be filled in the next week and another *MIGHT* be filled in the next month. That being said, two weeks ago I tried to access monster.com and couldn't not search any resumes. That's our job bank
, so when I questioned her about it I was told same thing happened to her and she had a call into Monster about it. I've questioned her 3 times since and got the response that she's been playing "phone tag" with monster. I let it go, with all the other things going on in my life, but I've still be committed to doing my job. However, I can no longer search for candidates without the right tools.

A couple of days ago the husband sends me an email about a meeting he's having at his house about the travel business. It was for the evening of the 12th and I couldn't go. Today he sends another email explain the focus of the travel business and the ad he's placing on Monster.com to recruit business.

Now it's time to open my mouth. I emailed him back:

Thanks for the information, but I'm more interested in finding out what's
happening with the "search" part of the ASAP organization as there's no
access to monster.com to search resumes at the current time and there
doesn't seem to be any incoming jobs either to recruit for.

Then tonight I was talking to Larry and we started talking about the lack of work, jobs orders
and my comittment: time, $ (phone line, internet, cell phone) and what commission I will make on the
jobs that I feel will close and with my compensation structure, it's just not worth it.

So I emailed Tracy:

I've been reviewing my time spent these past few moths on various
job orders and such and I feel that my time committment is worth
more than the XX% that we have agreed upon. The lack of closeable
jobs and the time spent recruiting for these jobs have ended up costing
me money (time, internet, dedicated phone line, cell phone) instead of
making me money. I understand that this purely a commission based
position, but I had thought that I would have more job orders to work on
that were closeable.

I'd like to discuss a change of commission to XX% due to the amount of
work that I have to do for each job order whether they've been closeable
or not, considering that every job will not be closeable, but the commission
should more than compensate for those times when we just can't get the
right person.

I'm also very concerned by the recent lack of any new job orders coming in
and the status with Monster.com. If and when we do close this Coury job
and maybe the Longboat one, will there be any job orders for me to work
on and how will I be searching? Or is the corporation soley concentrating
on the travel business and your expected postion with CLIENT.

I aimed higher on the requested commission to give us room to
negotiate but truly from where I stand, the amount of work I
do for a job is way more than what he/she does to get the order.

So I'm expecting a call on Monday. I've already done a search
on "virtual recruiters" and and there are several jobs out there
that I would be interested in pursuing if this doesn't
pan out.

Back in the hospital

well it was a short visit home...Saturday he was released from Rehab, but we noticed some rectal bleeding that did not lessen or go away so Sunday night it was back to the hospital where they found some blood in his stool and decided to keep him overnight to monitor and for the gastro dr to exam him today.

gastro dr called my this am to say they found alot of stool in his rectum (tmi) and some blood and were prepping him today for a colonoscopy tomorrow....so we'll know more then..

I have to wonder though...is this the beginning of the end for him??? he turned 80 on March 11 and it's been all problems since--the arthritis and pinched nerve, now the rectal bleeding. My grandmother was 87 when she passed away, but the last few years of her life were really downhill with stroke after stroke and heart attacks etc. It's really sad to wonder.

Trying to get them together w/their bunnies from Grandma.

More dress up pictures
Dylan with Shadow

Easter Pictures

After finding the baskets!

all dressed up (Dylan running away from the camera)

Highlighted My Hair On Saturday

My highlights! Not really sure if I'm liking the light color...excuse the pics...my hair is mostly undone today...after washing I just blow dried with my hands, no products, no brushes or combs. Seems to light for me...thinking about calling tomorrow and getting something else done, maybe going dark, unless I wait a few days to see if it grows on my...I'm thinking it's too orange.

Where is this year going anyway?

is it only me but I clearly remember Christmastime being just a little while ago and now where gearing up for Easter!!! I guess it's true about time just rushing by when you get old.

Life has been busy as usual here, still waiting to hear how well we did at the Fudge show this weekend. What an interesting experience it was. It was a bike (motorcycle) show, so there were alot of interesting people around both exhibiting and attending. We had a lot of fun though and hopefully made a lot of money.